مالك يوم الدين
By DR SHIHAB M. GHANEM & WADDAH S. GHANEM
This article addresses the fourth ayah of Al-Fatihah namely مالك يوم الدين“Maalik yawm al-deen”. The ayah consists of three words only but is of tremendous significance, because it speaks about the day of requital in the hereafter. Believing in that day is one of the six pillars of iman إيمان i.e. faith as we read in part of a hadith in Musnad Ahmed:
..الإيمان أن تؤمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر والقدر كله خيره وشره..(مسند أحمد)
i.e. : (1) Belief in Allah, (2) His angels, (3) His books, (4) His messengers, (5) the Hereafter, (6) and all Fate and Destiny, good and bad.
In fact the ayah has two authentic acceptable forms:
(1)مالك يوم الدين “Maalik yawm al- deen” i.e. the Owner of the day of requital, and
(2) ملك يوم الدين “Malik yawm al- deen” i.e. the Sovereign of the day of requital.
We will herebelow discuss these 3 words and their various meanings in detail.
The first of the three words of the ayah is مالك maalik or ملك malik. Both forms are acceptable and authentic readings. Asem, Al Kisaey and Yaqoob read it as Maalik (with the extra Alif, which is the first letter of the Arabic alphabet), whilst Nafee, Ibn Katheer, Hamzah, Abu Amr and Ibn Amer read it as Malik. Both words are derived from the Arabic past tense verb Malaka i.e. owned or possessed. Arabic is a language in which a large family of words are derived from a root word. For instance from the verb كتبَ kataba i.e. wrote we derive words such as كتابة kitabaton writing, كتاب Kitab book, مكتب maktab bureau or desk, مكتبة maktabah library or bookshop,كاتب kateb writer or clerck, إكتتاب iktitab subscription, كاتبة katibah typewriter, مكتوب maktoob letter, مكاتبة mukatabah correspondence, and many other words.
Maalik means owner, possessor, lord, or master, whereas Malik means king or sovereign. We have reviewed 36 different published English translations of Al-Fatihah and found that the translations of the words Maalik or Malik have been translated into the following: (a) (The) Master – 19 translations; (b) (The) King – 5 translations; (c) Ruler – 3 translations; (d) Owner – 2 translations; (e) The Only Owner & Only Ruling Judge – 1 translation; (f) Possessor – 1 translation; (g) Lord – 1 translation; (h) Sovereign – 1 translation.
In fact, the Glorious Quran refers to Allah (SWT) in one ayah as Maalik and in another ayah as Malik. This is another reason that supports the acceptability of both readings. These two ayas are:
قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتَنْـزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ )آل عمران26(
Ayah 26:3 Surat Al Umran: “Say: O God, Master2 of all Dominion! You give dominion to whom You will, and take away dominion from whom You will, and You exalt whom You will, and abase whom You will; in Your hand is all good; surely You have full power over everything.” In this ayah Master or Sovereign of all dominion is a translation of Maalik al-Mulk. The other ayah however says:
مَلِكِ النَّاسِ )الناس 2(
Ayah 2:114 Surat Al-Nas: “ Sovereign of all human beings”. Here Malik is used.
The different schlolars and interpreters of the Quran have differered in their preference of choice between the two words maalik and malik. Al Zamakshari (467-538 H) in his classical Quran interpretation (Al-Kashaf) said that “Malik” is more correct as it is the reading of the people of Al Harameen in Al Hijaz i.e. the two most important centres of Islam: Makkah and Al Madinah.
Al Shawkani (died 1255 AH, 1839 AD) in his classical Quran interpretation (Fath Al-Qadeer) said that some interpreters preferred Malik as it is more encompassing than Maalik because all kings are owners and yet not all owners are kings, and here Allah owns all and has control overall, but others preferred Maalik, as the owner has full control of all what he personally owns. He mentions that Abu Hatem said that Maalik is more glorifying in describing Allah, whereas Malik is more glorifying in describing humans.
Abu Hamed Al Ghazali (450-505 AH,1058-1111AD) in his book (Al-Maqsad Al-Asna fi Sharh Asma Allah Al-Husna) speaks about the beautiful names of Allah. The book is translated with notes by David B. Burnell and Nazih Daher (first published in 1992 by the Islamic Texts Society). They quote Al Gazhali saying: “Al Malik or the King is the one who in His essence and attributes has no need of any existing thing, while every existing thing needs Him. There is nothing among things which can dispense with Him concerning anything – whether in the essence or its attributes, its existence or survival; but rather each thing’s existence is for Him or for something that is from Him. Everything, other than Him, is subject to Him in its existence and its attributes, while He is independent of everything – and this is what it is to be king absolutely.”
Ibn Jareer At-Tabari (died 310 AH, 922 AD) in his detailed classical interpretation Jami Al-Bayan fi Tafseer Al-Quran states that Malik originates from the word “Mulk” which can mean what is within the kingdom, whereas Maalik originates from the word “Milk” which is what is owned.
Abu Abdulla Al-Qurtibi (died 671 AH, 1273 AD) in his classical tafseer (Al-Jami gi Ahkam Al-Quran) states that both Malik and Maalik are good and traditionally authentic readings. He also argues that the additional letter in Maalik adds to the benefit of the reader/worshiper an extra “hasanah” i.e. a good deed as per the hadith of the Prophet (SAAWS) related by Al-Tirmidhi:
من قرأ حرفا من كتاب الله فله به حسنة والحسنة بعشر أمثالها لا أقول الم حرف ولكن ألف حرف ولام حرف وميم حرف (زواه الترمذي)
i.e. he who reads/recites a letter of the Book of Allah (i.e. the Quran) gains one hasanah, and the hasanah is multiplied to ten hasanahs of its type; I do not say Alef-Lam-Meem a letter, but Alef a letter, Lam a letter and Meem a letter.
In his Al Manar Interpretation of the Quran Sheikh Muhammad Abduh (1265-1323 AH, 1849-1905 AD) argued that although Maalik has an extra letter and that undoubtedly adds more blessings “hasanat” in reading, he argues that Malik has more of an impact on الخشوع Al Kushoo which means Reverence/Veneration in prayer when we talk of Kingship. Sheikh ِ Abduh in his book (Duroos Mina Al Quran) i.e. Lessons from the Quran again reiterates that Malik (King) is more أبلغ ablagh i.e. more eloquent, or better because it refers to Sultanship, Strength and Management (tadbeer) تدبير, whereas Maalik may also be considered ablagh because it means He is the Master and Owner and has general and overall control. Thus he explains the advantages of each of the two alternatives.